When I’m reading I like to take pictures of quotes that jump out at me. Here is one about FEAR:

This is from John Maxwell.
When I’m reading I like to take pictures of quotes that jump out at me. Here is one about FEAR:

This is from John Maxwell.
Learned: Your effectiveness as a leader will hinge on something as “inconsequential” as word choice.
Action: Spend more time developing my vocabulary.
Take Away: John Maxwell speaks and everyone writes it down. Chris Rock says, “One word is going to be the difference in how big your laugh is.” (Nov Sky Magazine pg 62.) How much time was spent on the line “Real life change happens in the context of relationship” so that Hunter in my small group would be quoting pastor Chris Hodges.
Thinking that getting the general idea across will be good enough is no longer good enough for me. If great leaders focus on their words then I will too.
Making the Big Ask.
“Asking is a significant part of Hybels leadership role.” Pg 21
2. Learned: “The ask” only gets bigger as you grow in ministry. Focus on growth in this area or your ministry will not grow. Asking can build relationships. If done right, you honor the other person by asking.
2. Action: Use this chapter when talking about the “Big Ask” with church planters. Be a better asker.
Speed of the Leader, Speed of the Team
3. Learned: Leaders must never expect from others anything more than they’re willing to deliver themselves. When someone wonders how joyful they should be in their jobs, all they should have to do is observe the leaders level of joy. If I can’t be joyful then those I lead will not be either.
3. Action: Like John Maxwell says, “I must first learn to lead myself well.”
Bill Hybels’ Style
4. Learned: These Axioms are Hybels life experiences. The book wasn’t some theory “if you do x then y.” He used stories from his life to show why he leads the ways he does.
4. Action: Use stories when coaching church planters.
Admit Mistakes, and Your Stock Goes Up
5. Learned: When something goes wrong admit it and take responsibility for it. Admitting your mistakes says something about your integrity as a leader. Early on he felt like he had to prove himself. This lead to scrabbling behind the scenes and just made life harder. Now he just shoots straight as soon as he realizes he screwed up. It shows his confidence as a leader.
5. Action: Admit when I blow it.
20 years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. –Mark Twain
Don’t disappoint yourself… Do something!
Or you might end up like this…
DEADLY VIPER PROMO TRAILER: LONG FORMAT:2 MIN from Deadly Viper on Vimeo.
Here is the official trailer for Deadly Viper Character Assassins: A kung fu survival guide for life and leadership. By Mike Foster and Jud Wilhite
This book is great. It talks about a revolution of radical integrity and radical grace. You can also get a DVD series and small group studies.
This picture explains how i had been acting before the Holy Spirit convicted me the other day. i>u. It is so easy to start focusing on i. The only problem is i am no fun for everyone else to be around. i will never have any friends if i don’t shift my focus.
Living for others (helping not hurt) is my goal.
Trouble finding time to read a few books?
Today I tried something new. I walked into Borders (local book store near Purdue University) and grabbed a lapdesk and the first 5 books that caught my attention. Then I sat in one of the large leather chairs.
The Goal: Spend 5 min on each book, for a total of 25 min reading. I wasn’t sure what the outcome would be. I didn’t have time to read the whole book or even a whole chapter. There was only enough time to get the big picture.
I had a specific strategy for understanding the main point and finding something that would add value in 5 minutes. Begin with the last sentence. (30 seconds) Next read the chapter titles. Find a chapter of whose content is most interesting to you. (30 seconds – 1 minute) Finally, read that chapter as fast as you can. Be looking for that one little nugget that you can take with you. TIMES UP! This process was more helpful than I planned.
What did I learn?
1st book
The Green Book
Not sure why I picked two books on “how to be green.” Sometimes I like to read things that are just different than my usual. Two things I walked away with were: Will Ferrel drives an electric car. He explained why and how it makes him feel (p 33). The next thing that I learned will be helpful to my speech at the BUG Conference. There are 1.6 billion homes in the world.
2nd Deep Survival
Different than I expected, but the author was very creative and painted a picture well. Sometimes too much. So many adjectives and metaphors, I didn’t know what he was actually saying.
365 Ways to live Green
Their goal is to get you to spread the word about going green. (I know this because page 365 said now that you know, go teach your friends.) I found a section that would help me as I remodel my new house. It was titled “How to make your house more green.” Now I’m thinking about buying energy efficient light bulbs and rethinking the interior decor.
After staying on schedule perfectly, there was 5 minutes left. I saved the best for last.
Field Guide to African Wildlife.
I read about each of the animals I saw in my recent trip to Africa. Skipped all the birds. They just don’t interest me. And even learned about the different types of giraffe.
My take away. I had less than an hour and I learned something. It was time well spent. Obviously, I had to read fast and do a lot of scanning. But this technique helped me understand the main point and have something to take away. I have read a whole book without accomplishing those 2 things.
This process goes fast. It was fun. I wouldn’t recommend it all the time but next time you have a few minutes to kill in a book store, give it a try.
What time saving ideas do you have?
Dino Rizzo author of Servolution and pastor of Healing Place Church in Louisiana is on TOUR! Well a blog tour at least. Here is the question I asked Dino about his church and serving in the community.
Dino have you ever embarrassed yourself while serving in the community?